


The Stage Light’s Glow

by ignatusfell



Category: Orbiting Human Circus of the Air (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Autistic Character, Definitely self indulgent with this one not gonna lie, Echolalia, Fluff, Gen, SO MUCH FLUFF, Stimming, autistic author, i am sad and lonely can you blame me, julian the janitor is definitely autistic okay let me live, not beta read we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:34:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22392610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ignatusfell/pseuds/ignatusfell
Summary: Coco learns a bit more about The Janitor, and Julian spends a night doing what he does bestAlso Coco is very much a grandpa
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	The Stage Light’s Glow

Coco, the elderly night watchman of the Eiffel Tower, had grown very fond of The Janitor over the years. He quickly became attached to the young man when he had first arrived, a bundle of nerves and restless hands, always moving about. At first, it might have been pity Coco felt as he watched the Janitor mop the halls of the tower. How small he was for an adult, and very slow to conversation. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out how to make the man talk. Of course Coco knew the man was capable, seemed to talk to himself quite a bit in fact. Eventually, Coco settled on not pushing the matter, better to let it come naturally he thought to himself.

Whenever he could Coco would leave a pastry or two in front of the Janitor’s Closet, just so he was sure the Janitor was eating something. He had seen the Janitor sneak into the kitchen like he wasn’t supposed to be there, just to nab a bagel or the like. Almost gave Coco a heart attack the first time, he thought there was a burglar or something the way the Janitor was slinking about. After that, he just turned a blind eye to the Janitor’s kitchen visits, couldn’t hurt really. The Tower certainly had more than enough food as it was, couldn’t hurt to let the man eat. He’d have to take this up with tower management, Coco thought…

The Janitor, whom Coco had come to know as Julian, was a very musical person. He often would hum a tune as he worked, the notes echoing off the walls of the Eiffel Tower. It was impossible not to notice, his voice held a melancholy but soft quality, maybe ethereal was the right word. 

Because of this, it wasn’t unusual that on this particular night, Coco was suddenly stirred from his daydreaming* by a familiar humming. This time, however, it did not come from the balcony nor the main hallway. No, it seemed to be coming from the grand ballroom of the Eiffel Tower, the set for the world-renowned radio show, The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air). 

*Nightdreaming?

Of course, it was no secret how much the Janitor loved the show. In fact, one of the few (albeit short) full conversations Coco had shared with the Janitor up to this point had been about the feature presentation that night, something about a fireman and a plume of smoke if he could recall. All Coco could really remember was how the light seemed to dance in Julian’s eyes as he spoke, his hands just as excited as the rest of the young man waving about wildly. In that moment, the Janitor had reminded Coco of his grandchildren, so full of life and inspiration. Unfortunately, right as Julian was getting to the good part of that night’s story, Jaque spilled a large bucket of paint all over John Cameron, and Julian was pulled away to clean up the mess. That night Coco left a mostly full box of pastries outside the Janitor’s Closet with a note, “I want to hear the rest of the fireman story later -Coco”.

For this reason, it wasn’t entirely a surprise that Julian was hovering around the ballroom, what was strange was that when Coco found him, the Janitor was sitting with his feet dangling over the edge of the stage. You see, the Chief Stagehand of the Orbiting Human Circus Leticia Saltier can strike the fear of a pantheon of gods into anyone, and as Julian seemed to be… accident-prone* when on stage, she outright refused to let him anywhere near it. Of course, this never stopped the Janitor. No, when he has his mind set on something he will never let go. However, even he had to submit to the might of Chief Stagehand Leticia, if only for a little while. 

*No one will EVER forget the cockroach incident.

What Coco was not privy to was the mental battle Julian had to go through to get himself on that stage in the first place...

-

“Only for a little bit, Leticia isn’t even here no one will know.” The Janitor murmured, 

‘But you know you will just get into trouble, it is much too soon to be trying to live your fantasies, not after the-’ The Narrator that lives inside Julian’s head tried to persuade him, but he was cut off.

“The cockroach incident, I know, it’s not my fault they got loose, I just wanted a closer look… they were so cute…” Julian trailed off, sighing as he gripped the red velvet curtain he hid behind. The Ballroom was bathed in a warm yellow-orange hue that made the space seem cozy and inviting. Dust danced in the spotlights that remained lit after the show, it was a truly magical sight,  
“... Just for a little bit, then I will go back to the closet.”

The Janitor made up his mind and walked out onto the stage, thoroughly ignoring his Narrator, scuffed old shoes tapping on the shiny polished wood of the stage. He walked up to the edge of the stage, sat down, took a deep breath in, and let it out slowly. With this, Julian’s show began.

-

When Coco arrived at the ballroom after locating our Janitor, he was surprised to see Julian center stage, fully illuminated by the golden beam of one of the spotlights. The young man seemed much more relaxed than he usually was, eyes closed and a lazy smile across his face. He rocked back and forth, the tassels on his winter hat swaying with the momentum. A low hum echoed through the grand ballroom, sometimes changing pitches, but staying constant and resonant. Interspersed between the hums, Julian echoed phrases from the show, especially those of our Host John Cameron. 

“Broadcasting from the top of the Eiffel Tower!”

“Introducing North, the Incredible Singing Saw!”

“The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) wishes you, a goodnight.”

The way he spoke was so precise. His cadence was spot on. Of course, now that Coco thought about it, this was no surprise. Even when he wasn’t supposed to Julian was listening to the show, to the pre show scramble, to the post show tear down, The Janitor was always listening. 

As Coco hid behind the red velvet curtain, he couldn’t help but notice how relaxed and free Julian seemed. The Janitor always seemed to restrain himself when around the stagehands or other employees of the Circus. As he talked, it was as if he was holding back, like he was keeping a dam from bursting open. Coco had never noticed this before, of course he acknowledged that Julian was a bit strange. But now seeing him in his element, truly joyful and content, it all seemed to click.

Coco contentedly sighed, if only the Janitor could feel more accepted in the way he expressed himself. He was a bright young man as evident from the few conversations Coco had previously with him. Who could have squashed his spirit to this extent?

The elderly night watchman let out a silent chuckle and shook his head, his daughter was right, to Coco everyone felt like his grandchildren.

The old gentleman turned around to leave, if this was the only real time Julian had to feel relaxed, who was he to interrupt? However, as he moved for the door, Coco rustled the heavy curtain and a puff of dust fell down from the rafters. Just one quick inhale and…

ACHOO!!

...it was all over.

The sneeze reverberated around the Grand Ballroom, echoing off of the grand domed ceiling. Immediately the rocking and humming ceased. Julian jumped to his feet in a start and began trying to babble out an apology. He was shaking and backing up, looking as if he might flee, not unlike a startled deer.

“Hey,” Coco reassured as he stepped out from behind the curtain, rubbing his nose, “it’s okay Julian, it’s just me.”

The Janitor seemed to relax just slightly, but there was still an apparent tremor in his voice as he apologized, “I’m-m s-s-so sorry Coco, sir. I shouldn’t be i-in here, I know. I-I-” Julian was backing up, almost to the edge of the stage, ready to bolt to the Janitors Closet.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Coco murmured, “Its okay kid, you’ve done nothing wrong.”

The Janitor wasn’t looking at Coco, rather, he opted for focusing his attention on his dirty shoes.

The elderly night watchman gestured and took a step towards the edge of the stage, “Mind if I sit?” He asked in a warm tone.

Julian shook his head, and Coco eased himself down to sit on the polished wood stage. His muscles and joints protested and the old man sighed. No matter how much he would deny it, he wasn’t as spry as he used to be.

Coco looked over at Julian and patted the stage to his right, “Take a seat.”

The Janitor hesitated a second and looked around, but seemed to make up his mind as he walked over to the older man and sat next to him on the stage. His legs dangled over the edge but they did not move. As he sat there was a forced stillness that permeated his demeanor, a type stillness that is learned as a means of survival.

Coco couldn’t help a melancholy smile, ‘Oh Julian,’ he thought, ‘Why must you be so hard on yourself.’

“The Ballroom is weird at night isn’t it?” Coco finally settled on saying, “With all the people gone it’s like a completely different place.”

“Not really,” uttered Julian, in barely more than a whisper, “an audience is always here.”

“I guess you’re right,” Coco mused not quite knowing what the Janitor was getting at, “so many audiences, so many shows, they must leave an imprint on this place.”

Julian was silent.

“You really like the circus, don’t you Julian?” Coco inquired, already knowing the answer.

“Oh yes, more than anything.” The Janitor let out a wistful sigh, “Every moment I’m not on the stage I feel like I’m being pulled back. All I want is to be a show person, to tell stories and sing songs, to make people happy…”

The Janitor started to very slightly rock again as he looked up at the grand domed ceiling of the ballroom, all painted with clouds and angels, in shadows from the stage lights. 

As Coco looked at the young man, he couldn’t help but think that there was so much more going on inside the janitor’s mind that went unsaid. He almost seemed to glow as they sat there on the edge of the stage, and the glow became stronger and warmer as lovely thoughts crossed his mind (this was Coco’s theory, anyway).

“Well,” Coco broke the silence after a bit, “I think you would be well suited for the stage.”

Julian turned to face the elderly night watchman, “You really think so? You aren’t just saying that?” The Janitor’s round eyes peered towards Coco, awaiting an answer.

“Of course!” Exclaimed Coco with a bit of a chuckle, “You certainly have a knack for storytelling, I think so anyway.”

Julian beamed, “Thank you so much Coco! At least I know one person has heard me and finds joy in my ramblings, that’s all I ask for really.”

Coco gave a warm grin, “Speaking of,” the old man stretched a bit, his back popping after sitting for so long, “do you mind finishing the story you were telling me last? You know the one, it was about the firman and the smoke leaping from roof to roof?”

Julian eagerly agreed, and the rest of the night consisted of many stories being exchanged between the two friends on the stage of the Orbiting Human Circus. By the time dawn came, Julian had passed out on Coco’s shoulder while he was spinning a tale about his daughter’s first violin recital. The old man chuckled and just as he used to do with his own children (albeit not quite as easily as he used to) Coco carried Julian to the Janitor’s Closet and lay him on the cot in the corner.

When Julian awoke slightly confused in his closet he thought for a moment that the night before was just one of his many fantasies. He missed his Great Grandfather terribly, perhaps this was his mind’s way of comforting itself. Those thoughts however were dispelled when the Janitor peeked out of the door to his closet to find a box of muffins with a handwritten note on top.

Julian,  
Next time you feel up to it we can swap stories again if you’d like! I still need to tell you about my son’s toy making business, and I want to hear more about that rhythm friend of yours.  
-Coco

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I am projecting onto Julian, and yes I am taking my own grandpas mannerisms and putting them on Coco bc I am a sad sad bastard and I miss him a lot
> 
> Also I haven’t properly written anything in at least a year, plus this is unedited, hopefully it is readable haha
> 
> Oh yeah and this was started before the second season so the canon is a bit wonky?? But I had already started it when the new episodes came out and I liked the concept so I finished it


End file.
